The recipe below is not the exact recipe I made. I decided that rather than make a full batch of jam filled donuts I would also make some traditional donut shapes with a hole in the middle and a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar. The recipe I used filled the donuts with jam before the rise and then cooked them with the jam already inside. Unfortunately the jam escaped from some and there were raw bits of dough close to the jammy inside when the outside was a perfect golden brown, so I decided that a recipe that cooked the donut first and then filled them with jam afterwards would be far more consistent.
So you are welcome to cook little donut balls and fill them with sticky jam afterwards as per the recipe below, or use a circle cutter and then a smaller cutter to make a hole in the middle. Dust the hole donuts with cinnamon and sugar mixed together and sprinkle the jam donuts with icing sugar- delicious!
INGREDIENTS
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1.5 tsp yeast
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50g sugar
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225 ml milk, warmed
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450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
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1 tsp salt
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50g butter, melted
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1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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300ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying
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jam of your choice
- sugar/cinnamon/icing sugar for dusting and coating
METHOD
- Mix the yeast with half a teaspoon of the sugar and two tablespoons of the warm milk. Place in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes, or until frothy.
- Add the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in one tablespoon of the sugar.
- Make a well in the flour and pour in the yeast mix, the rest of the milk, vanilla and the melted butter and egg. Mix to make a dough and then knead, cover the bowl and leave to stand for 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- On a floured work surface, knead the dough for five minutes, then divide into 12 balls and place in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan until it reaches 190C/375F, or a cube of bread dropped in sizzles and turns golden in 30 seconds. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
- Gently lower the dough balls one at a time into the hot oil, in batches of two or three, and fry for 3-5 minutes or until golden-brown, and then carefully turn over. Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Roll the hot doughnuts in the remaining sugar. Make a small slit in the doughnut with the tip of a knife, and fill with a teaspoon of jam.
I don't think I need to tell you, but they tasted amazing! Soft and light on the inside and crisp and sugary on the outside!
